


Blood ties

by TimonTomato



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: And violence, Assassin's Creed Syndicate, General au, I have my own vampire lore it will all be explained, I've included some plot relevant OCS, Little bit of angst, M/M, Part of the fic will happen in modern times, Rothfrye vampire au is the best au honestly, Vampire AU, almost everyone is a vampire btw, but no self insert be assured, dancing is gonna happen, like Roth would make a great vamp, no Assassin/templars, other cute stuff planned, there is blood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-25
Updated: 2017-06-01
Packaged: 2018-11-04 21:46:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10999626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TimonTomato/pseuds/TimonTomato
Summary: Jacob Frye had a simple life, not an easy one, but he was fine with it. Until everything changed, and not for the best.This is a vampire AU, I may change the rating at some point but for now there are no planned sex scenes or whatev.(chapters may be irregular in size)EDIT: I tried to write a sex scene. More to come probably? I don't know. ah.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok This is essentially the setting, most of the fic is gonna happen in a modern world setting. It's an AU with vampires, there is blood, violence, general murdering. And in this Au there are no assassins/templars so things are a bit different.  
> This said, I hope you'll enjoy it! :)

Jacob woke up,slowly opening his eyes. He was in a dark room. There was a faint light, and muffled noise nearby, indicating that Someone was in the room with him. He tried to turn his head to see who was there, or at least to look toward the light, but he couldn't move. He was completely paralyzed. His mind was foggy, then it started to violently come to life ; the sound of footsteps, the sound of a flame oscillating with a breeze, the sound of people down in the street, all mixed with different smells, colors and everything was too much. He then felt a horrible pain in his chest, and his stomach contracted so hard he thought he was going to throw up. He started to regain control of his limbs, but everything ached, and all he could do was scream in pain. He had no idea where he was , how he got there or what was happening to him, all he knew was that he was in so much pain he wished he was dead. He eventually rolled on his side, curling up in a fetal position, holding his sides, still screaming in pain. He heard someone's voice through the cacophony of sounds that assaulted his brain; and a gentle hand in his hair. He thought he recognized the voice, and he wondered why he was there. He was glad Roth-- Maxwell was there. He eventually passed out, and was glad it was so.

  
The second time he woke up, he was barely conscious for more than a few seconds, same as the third and fourth time. He vaguely remembered Maxwell being there almost everytime. Though he hardly spoke to him. Or maybe he did, through some sort of feverish haze. Feverish, yes that's how he had felt. Like his blood was boiling hot, but at the same time terribly cold.  
When he woke up for the fifth time, he felt almost good. His head was clear- his sense were still as overwhelmingly sharp, but as he woke up he managed to quiet them, and they did not cause him any more distress. He was not in pain either. But he was feeling strange. Like something was missing. He tried to move his limbs, taking a deep breath before doing so, anticipating a pain that did not come. He sighed. He then realized with horror that- he wasn't breathing. His chest was entirely still, and aside from his voluntary attempt to simulate a breathing pattern-which proved tedious and did not change anything to how he was feeling overall- he was not breathing. Of course his first reaction was to panic- It was unsettling, and terribly frightening- Why was he not dead? Why wasn't he feeling dizzy at the very least? And why did it feel so unnatural and forced to breath? It was like he used energy to do so. Like raising an arm or walking.  
What was going on?  
He felt something else too, inside of his brain. He felt like he was craving something. It was like being hungry, except he didn't feel it in his stomach. It was something he felt in his brain, no, in his whole body. It was strong enough to distract him from his non-breathing situation. But what was it? How could he know what to do to quiet this unbearable craving without knowing what he was craving after?

 

Maxwell had been gone for an hour. It was past two in the morning, and he needed to bring back food for himself but also for Jacob. The young man would be hungry once he woke up. He hadn't witnessed many transformations. He personally never had any interest in creating new vampires. Very few humans interested him enough for him to do so. But he had been through it himself, and he remembered all of it, even to this day. The pain, the hunger for something he did not yet know. It had been difficult, that last week, to deal with hunting, hiding and keeping an eye on Jacob. He tried to be there as much as he could. He didn't want the boy to wake up entirely alone. It as a difficult thing to go through, many never passed this stage and died before the transformation was complete. He wanted to be there. To witness the change.

  
It had been painful to watch. Maxwell Roth was not known for his empathy, he usually did not care to see others suffer. But seeing his dear boy screaming in pain, with nothing he could do to appease it, had been unexpectedly hard.  
Or was it unexpected? In the sense that it had been a long time since Maxwell last felt something like this for anyone. Love felt like something he had left behind when he became a creature of the night. He had not lost his passion, for the arts and for beautiful men and women, but love was something entirely else. It was a violent and devouring feeling, yet so beautiful. And how could he not fall for Jacob? He was like a wild, unrestrained force, making his way through chaos with such grace…. Himself fuelling the chaos of this city.  
Yet he had never intended to turn Jacob. He had not wanted to impose him that choice. But he hadn't been able to let Jacob die. Not like this. No.  
He didn't regret his actions. He rarely regretted anything.  
No he was content with his decision. He would do the same thing he always did; move on, and deal with whatever will come of it when the time comes.

 

Jacob heard the sound of a door open, he sat up, over the edge of the bed, ready to stand up in case it was someone hostile. It was an habit that saved him at least twice. He waited, and listened. After a few minutes the door of the bedroom opened. Maxwell steped in, looking as elegant as always, his raven-black hair were slightly more unruly than Jacob usually saw them, suggesting he had been outside, but you could barely notice it, if anything, it suited him. Maxwell smiled upon seeing him, but Jacob was not in a mood to answer with a smile. He was still shaken by everything that was happening. Still trying to process it.

“What happened to me?”Jacob asked.  
Maxwell came to sit on the edge of the bed, looking at Jacob with a somewhat concerned look.  
“You don't remember the fire?” He asked  
Jacob furrowed his brows, trying to remember. He hadn't tried to, honestly, it was all blurry, and all that came to his mind was this horrible pain and all the noise. He focused thhis time, and he found a vague memory. Explosions. Fire. The Alhambra burned. He remembered.

  
“They burned the Alhambra.” Jacob said, staring at a blank spot in the darkness of the room. “I remember that.”  
Maxwell sighed. Clearly he was not pleased by this memory. The Alhambra had been more than just a convenient cover for his criminal activities, it had been a way for him to be part of the entertainment world, which he so loved.

“Yes they did. Do you remember anything else darling?” His voice was calm, and he put a comforting hand on Jacob's back. It helped the young man relax a bit, as he focused on remembering. Why was it so hard to remember? The place was on fire, he was with Maxwell, trying to escape. They got into a scuffle with a few of the culprits… The ceiling collapsed. He fell down. Couldn't move.  
Now the memory was vivid, like he was living it once more. He was laying on the floor, unable to move. His chest was painful. He felt blood in his mouth. He tried to get out, but realized h was physically pinned to the floor, his chest entirely crushed. He could barely breath. He was losing consciousness. He couldn't have survived this.  
Then it hit him.

  
“I.. Did I die?” The concept was strange to him. Not so long ago, he didn't believe in ghost stories and this kind of things. To him death was a permanent state. But after discovering the truth about Maxwell, it had changed his perspective. Still, for some reason, it never really clicked in his brain that before he became a vampire, a creature of the night or whatever they call them, Maxwell was alive. Just like him. He had died too , and came back to this.. existence.  
Was that what was happening to him?  
“Did you..?”

  
“I turned you, yes.” Maxwell finished his sentence, without needing to hear the rest.  
Jacob felt a sting in his chest. Betrayal. Was that what he felt? Yes he felt betrayed.

“Why?” Is all he managed to ask, looking at Maxwell with pain in his eyes. Why did he do this? Jacob didn't want this. He had never wanted this. He had a life. What about Evie? She must think him dead. Maybe it was for the better. He didn't want her to see her brother like that. He was not human anymore.

“Darling, you were dying.” Maxwell said, sternly. “And in no state to speak. Was I supposed to let you die?”

“Yes!”

He was angry. He had accepted Maxwell killing people for survival. He hadn't been able to see the man as a monster. Perhaps he had been blinded by his feelings. Or perhaps he didn't care as long as he never had to witness it. But he didn't want to have to do the same. Killing innocent people like they're cattle, it wasn't right. He didn't even think he would be capable of such a thing.  
Maxwell was frowning. He was clearly angered by this situation. But so was Jacob. And he wasn't gonna back down. It hurt. He had been betrayed by the man he loved. These emotions, he had felt them in the past. Betrayal, sorrow, anger. But they felt so different now. He couldn't pinpoint exactly how, but they felt somehow.. duller. His anger was the only thing that appeared to be left untouched. Was that because of his transformation too? How much of his humanity had he lost? How could Maxwell have done that to him, without even thinking about Jacob's opinion.

  
“I didn't want this.” Jacob started. “Now I'm speaking and moving, but I'm dead. My life is gone. The only difference is that I'm aware of it, and that I will need to kill to stay alive.”  
Maxwell stood up. Anger made him restless. Jacob had seen that before. He passed a hand through his hair, frustrated.

“Jacob, dear. I offer you a new life.” He said, his whole body tense with anger. “I offer you a chance to be free. You won't have to worry about anything anymore. Is that not preferable to death?”  
Jacob didn't answer. He looked away, unable to face him. He didn't know what to think what to feel, he was so confused and hurt. And there was this..craving, that drove him crazy. All he knew was that he had been forced into this existence, and that he wished he hadn't.

“If it is your wish to die, Jacob. You still can. Shall I end this now dear?” It wasn't so much of a threat. A suggestion, more like. Though Jacob had no doubt that in his angry state, Maxwell would kill him if he asked.  
Was it what he wanted? To die? He hated this new existence of his.  
..Yet he didn't want to die. He felt like he was still alive. He still had his survival instinct, which fought against his moral need to say “yes kill me” He wanted to live, and he couldn't fight against that, not matter how hard he tried, the words wouldn't come out. He remained silent, staring at the ground, gritting his teeth. He felt a turmoil of contradictory emotions.

“I don't know. I don't understand what's happening to me. I need time.” Jacob said.

“You have plenty of time ahead, Jacob. That's part of the advantages. “ Maxwell said, dryly, before leaving the room.

 

 

 

It took time for Jacob to get used to the idea. For two days, he didn't eat at all, Maxwell didn't force him, he tried to be understanding. He was sure Jacob would come around eventually. He just had to wait. Luckily they could go without blood for a long time, however, waiting to quench one's thirst did no good. It just made the thirst less manageable, and resulted in messy, disorganized killings. In the present case, it was not a problem. Jacob wasn't Alone, and he stayed inside.

“I do want to live. It doesn't mean that I agree with any of this being forced on me.” Jacob said, as Maxwell was in the living room downstairs, playing the piano. It was the first time he left the bedroom since he had woken up. There were heavy red curtain all over the place covering the windows, preventing the sunlight from getting in. The furniture looked pretty expensive, and the house itself was quite big for a city house. It was nicely decorated in general, with paintings hanging on the walls. It did fit Maxwell's tastes.  
Maxwell stopped playing almost immediately, and walked up to Jacob.

“I'm sorry it had to be forced on you, darling. But I am sure that in time, you will see that this was the best option.”

“I wish with all my heart that you're right.” Jacob sighed. He didn't see how he could ever forget this. He could barely look at Maxwell in the eye. It would be so much easier if Jacob could just hate him. But apparently at least one feeling had followed him beyond the grave. He was angry at Maxwell, and disappointed, but amidst all this, he still loved the man.

  
They had had time to get to know each other before all this. At first Jacob was just working for him-The Frye twins needed money, and his Evie's ways were not enough- , He had never met him directly, until all his good work had reached Maxwell Roth's ears. Jacob was assigned work by the Blighters' leader directly, and that's how they met. With more work being done and arriving, they saw eachother rather often, and had time to exchange. Maxwell had appeared as a strange and fascinating man to Jacob at the time. If not for the scar on the man's face, Jacob wouldn't have thought he was really the type to enjoy violence. Maxwell was well dressed, well spoken, and he was the owner of a music hall. Not the type of people Jacob usually met while working with criminals.

  
In the end, Maxwell was a very intriguing man, and at some point, the two of them got close. It didn't take long. They shared the same view of the world, they enjoyed many similar things, and both had the same ideal of freedom. Freedom has a right for everyone, and of course for themselves. It was the only thing that Jacob had kept of his father's values, the only thing probably, he and his sister had in common as well, but Evie's view was too narrow for Jacob, there was too much rules. Maxwell didn't have any of these rules. That was the idea of freedom Jacob had.

  
During an evening, Maxwell shared his secret with Jacob. The young man hadn't understood at first, he had never thought about the existence of creatures such as vampires. It did explain a few things though, and after a while, and the help of alcohol, he just accepted it and moved on, not thinking too much about it. He found all this very .. thrilling. It was all new, it was exciting, it was like threading alongside a wolf. That and the fascination he had for the man only grew deeper. He didn't realize, exactly, when it passed the thin line between admiration and love.  
But once the line was crossed, there was no turning back. By that time Evie had learned about him working for Maxwell Roth. She had been displeased, it was dangerous, and bound to end badly. Or so were her words. She happened to have been right. Not that Jacob would've listened to her. He was making money for the both of them, and he had no intention on leaving Roth.  
Where did it lead him? To this moment.

  
Jacob's first victim was right in front of him, laying on the floor in a dark, empty room. She was gagged; her hands and legs bound. When the two men approached her eyes went wide, and she started to whimper. Jacob stepped inside and he started to feel dazed. The surrounding noises were slowly drowned by the sound of a beating heart, of blood running through veins. Smell quickly joined sound, the smell of blood. She was wounded, he quickly saw a cut on her forehead, as well as wounds on her ankles and wrists from the rope.  
It was like his body was not his own. He felt a quick pain in his mouth as suddenly he was baring his fangs, growling, and ready to attack the girl. He couldn't look away from her jugular. He could see it pulsing with blood, and it drove him insane. Maxwell reacted quickly. He grabbed Jacob's arm, twisting it and holding it in his back, preventing him from tearing the girl's throat open.

“Don't rush, dear. You need to learn to take your time.” He spoke in a low, quiet voice, trying to sooth him. He knew for a fact that it was hard to get a hungry vampire back to reason in the presence of a human being, but he needed Jacob to learn how to control himself, and would use strength to do so.  
Jacob was fighting against Maxwell's hold on his arm, but the older man only strengthened his grip. The poor boy just had to give in and stop fighting. Jacob was staring at the girl with wild -now yellow- eyes, certainly waiting for Maxwell to release his arm just enough for him to break free and get to his prey. However it wouldn't happen. Maxwell had no intention on letting him go before he had calmed down, and would even drag him out of the room if the boy didn't come back to reason. It was an important step. Wild vampires only caused trouble, both to themselves and the general community of vampires.

“Jacob, darling boy.” He said, in his sweetest voice. “Calm down. You will have her blood. But first you need to calm down.”  
It was like talking to a child. Or perhaps more like trying to reason with a rabid dog.  
Jacob's mind was foggy. He could hardly hear anything, see anything or smell anything that wasn't related to the young woman in front of him, his prey. He didn't feel a single bit of pity. She was nothing, all that mattered was that she had blood in her veins, blood that Jacob wanted to consume. But of course he was being prevented from being so. He didn't understand. He didn't try to. He was frustrated, and furious. But through the fog he did hear Maxwell's voice. He tried to focus on it. It was so difficult with the intoxicating smell of blood so near, so , so near… Maxwell's voice felt so far away, but it was so calming. Jacob remembered listening to him talk for hours. He could explain him Shakespearean plays and poems. He couldn't quite understand what was so interesting about them, but he loved to listen to Maxwell talk about it. The memories seemed to distract him, for a while, he slowly focused more and more on his surrounding. The slight pain in his arm, slight creaking of the wood as the wind was blowing outside. The sound of carriage rolling on the pavements in the street outside. Progressively he got out of his blood crazed state, though he struggled to stay out of it. Jacob's arm was starting to feel quite sore.

“My arm- let go” He asked, still feeling somewhat out of it.  
Maxwell released his arm, and walked over to where the girl was laying, whimpering. He pulled her up, forcing her to stand. She was still bound, and struggled at first.

“Now, now. Don't fuss girl.” Maxwell said “it's not going to hurt.” He gently moved away the hair that fell on her neck, exposing her throat. He then looked up at Jacob, who was watching the scene with a mix of horror and thirst. He needed this blood, but he was aware of the cost. A human life. “Come over here Jacob.”

Jacob obeyed, moving forward, and stopping in front of the crying woman. Now that he was close he could see her features. She wore a lot of makeup, and she was terribly young. In her early twenties. Her clothes and the rest told Jacob that she was probably a prostitute. There were many in London. They were rarely missed.  
He looked at her pleading eyes, and he wanted to move away, but he knew he couldn't. He was barely hanging on his sanity at the moment, ready to snap back and tear her apart for a drop of blood. He needed to stay in control. At least she wouldn't suffer that way. He knew for a fact that vampire bites were not painful Not at all. They put the person in a relaxed state, which was actually quite a nice feeling. Jacob knew this, he had let Maxwell feed on him a few time. He always felt weak afterward, but aside from a bruise on his neck, he felt no pain. He doubted she would survive though, but she would not suffer. He tried to tell himself that, as he sank his fang in the young woman's neck.  
It was intoxicating. The taste of blood, the feeling of warmth it brought to his own body. It was like he was himself coming back to life, he couldn't hear or see anything, he was completely lost in the sensation it brought him. Like drinking life itself-appropriating it. And for every drop of blood he consumed, he could feel the woman growing colder and colder, he could feel the life leaving her. She didn't complain. She had stopped crying. She barely gasped as her life left her. And when Jacob came back to his senses, she was laying dead on the ground, a smile on her lips, her cheeks stained with tears. It was such a strange spectacle. She looked like a broken doll, glassy eyes and a fixed smile. She lost her life Jacob could continue living-if this was indeed called living.  
Maxwell didn't even look at her, as he stepped over the woman's corpse to stand beside Jacob, putting a hand on the young man's shoulder.

“How are you feeling dear?” He asked.  
How am I feeling? Jacob smiled, a sarcastic smile. He was feeling guilty. But not for killing her. No, as he looked at the woman's corpse on the ground, he felt nothing. She was nothing more than this- a corpse. He didn't feel the littlest bit sorry for her. He felt guilty for not feeling guilt. He should be feeling something. He used to feel something. Instead, the only thing he could feel, was satisfaction. He was satiated, and he felt good.

“Better.” Jacob simply answered. But there was no emotion in his voice, he just sounded tired. How could he possibly ever get used to this? Would he one day lose so much of his former humanity that he would not care anymore about his lack of guilt? How long was he going to have to live with a man that he could barely look in the eye, not knowing if he hated or loved him?  
He had no answers, just questions. He wished he had told Maxwell to kill him. If only the words had accepted to pass his lips, if only he hadn't had to resign himself to this life because he couldn't bring himself to die.

 

  
The first time he was allowed to leave was weeks after. He fed regularly, Maxwell bringing home suitable victims. Usually whores or poor workers. People who wouldn't be missed much. Jacob fed himself, but he was never too happy about it. At least now he could control himself, and they could feed off the same person for a few days if they were organized enough. On his first day back in the streets of London, Jacob had asked Maxwell if he could go see his house. He wanted to see his sister. And That's what he did. He and Maxwell waited for her to come home from one of her work. I was around one in the morning. They waited on the roof of one of the neighbouring houses, hidden in the darkness.

“Do you want to talk to her dear?” Maxwell asked, observing Evie with curiosity.  
Jacob shook his head.

“No. It's preferable that she thinks me dead and moves on.”  
Evie looked tired. At least she wasn't alone. Jacob knew Henry and her were together, even if she never really mentioned it. Henry was a good man. He would take good care of Evie. OR rather, she would take good care of him, knowing her, that's how it would work. He smiled at the thought. At the memories that came back. Life hadn't been easy, their childhood hadn't been the happiest, and their relationship had its ups and downs, but he would miss his big sister.  
He silently told her goodbye and they left. Jacob needed to be taught how to hunt properly. If it was his life now, he should at least learn to be autonomous.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you'll like this chapter. I generally am not too good at description, but I try, I promise.   
> So yes this AU may be OOC a bit, though I'm trying to make it as likely as possible. ! Hope it shows in my writing.  
> Anyway, good reading!

A few months passed, during which Jacob learned how to be a proper vampire, and not a rabid animal that went on killing sprees every now and then-Maxwell told him these things happened- He learned how to pick a target, how to isolate, the right spots to dump bodies- aside from the very obvious Thames- He had also had to get used to crowds again. At first crossing a few people in the street had proven difficult. It was like being a wolf surrounded by sheep- a very hungry wolf- and it took all his energy to not just attack anyone who came too close. According to Maxwell, he was a quick learner. In Jacob's opinion, it all took too long. He had almost attacked passerbys several times, and even now that he could control himself decently, he was still worried whenever his mentor left him for more than a few minutes. He found Maxwell's guidance and general presence reassuring. He was still bitter about all this, he was still in some sense upset after what he had done. But he also relied on him for all this time, and Maxwell had proven himself to be a very dedicated mentor, and despite Jacob giving him the cold shoulder, he had remained patient and always so caring. He did appear frustrated at times, or got angry, but never for long. Jacob felt like, in this new life of his, Maxwell was the only person he still had by his side, and no matter how angry he was, or had been, he was thankful, and he still cared about him. Still loved him, he supposed. The anger had dulled it, but as it receded over the month, becoming more of a vague, bitter feeling, his feelings for Maxwell slowly resurfaced. It was….difficult, to say the least. He hadn't forgiven him, didn't want to, but he couldn't stay angry. He just couldn't. Maxwell was a brilliant man, he was just as fascinating to Jacob as he had always been. He was always so kind to Jacob, constently praising him, always willing to share with him. And the way he spoke to Jacob, looked at him… Maxwell genuinely cared about him. And Jacob could only stay so long ignoring his own feelings for the man, pretending like whatever had happened between them before didn't matter anymore. He was eventually going to give in.   
And he didn't know how he felt about that.

Jacob was trying to refrain from rolling his eyes as Maxwell was fussing over his outfit, fixing his tie for him. They were both dressed to go out, apparently they had to attend some sort of social event, that required vampires from all over the city to gather here. A sort of population control apparently.

They had relocated to the Alhambra, which had been mostly repaired now, after the explosions and fire. Luckily it didn't do too much damages to the structure of the building, and was easily repaired, though it did cost money. So they spent most of their days there. It was convenient that the music hall was so dark, Jacob had thought. He had recently accidentally been exposed to sunlight-By accidentally it meant he opened a bit one of the curtain at Maxwell's place out of curiosity- and got a nice burn on his hand, so he was now properly wary of sunlight. Maxwell had laughed, saying it was part of his learning to break rules to see for himself what happens, and that at least now he wouldn't go near sunlight again. 

They got inside the carriage, sitting across eachother. Maxwell had hired a new assistant, as Lewis sadly died during the attack of the Alhambra. The new assistant was a bit younger than Lewis had been, but he was just as talkative and friendly as his predecessor. On the other hand, he wasn't asked to make the conversation, just to follow orders.  
“You seem rather gloomy. That's unusual” Jacob remarked. Maxwell looked preoccupied, this gathering did not appear to rejoice him. Which was surprising, as the man usually loved going out to meet people. He often enjoyed himself during this kind of events, as Jacob had noticed the few times he had accompanied Maxwell to a party.

“I absolutely hate these events.” He said, frowning. He clearly had someone specific in mind. “There are dreadful people attending them. But I suppose you will soon see that for yourself.”

The carriage eventualy came to a stop and they stepped out. The reception happened at someone's residence. It was a large manor, and there were guards patrolling all over the gardens, some standing in front of the main entrance. Jacob recogized those guars as blighters, for most of them, and he gave a curious look to Maxwell, who was frowning at the building like he had been personnaly offended by its presence.  
“Who'sliving here?” Jacob asked, still looking at the large building, made of white stone. They dfinitely were outside of London, but this was still not a common architecture in England. At least Jacob thought so. He wasn't exactly an expert in these things. He just had never seen something like that, aside from a few places owned by the Queen herself.

“Crawford Starrick.” He said the name without hidding his disgust. “He hires my blighters, as you can see.”

“So he's a client?”

Maxwell appeared amused by this.

“I suppose that does make him my client. But don't say that to his face, dear/. He would like to think he's the King of this city, and that we are all his servants.” He took a step forward”Shall we go inside?”

Jacob followed him inside. He was pretty curious about this party. He didn't get why vampires needed to gather like this; and he wondered how many of them there were in the city and its direct surroundings. There couldn't be that much of them… Or were there? 

He was also curious to see this Crawford Starrick. He didn't know what the man did to get on Maxwell's bad side, but he sure wanted to know. Maybe he would ask Maxwell himself after the party.   
They stepped in, and needless to say, the inside was as sumptuous as the outside. The door directly gave on a huge reception/ball room, with a high ceiling and marble floor. He was no expert in building, once again, but he knew like anyone with a hint of common sense that this place was probably as luxurious as it could possibly get. There was even a huge crystal chandelier hanging over the room. Jacob found himself wondering how sturdy the thing was. Had something like this ever fallen on people? Something told him that if it had indeed happened, it wouldn't prevent ridiculously rich people from still putting them in their mansions to show off their money.  
The second thing that surprised him more than the shiny furniture of the main room, was the presence of humans in the room. He was not expecting this, and as they entered the room, he had to stop to recenter his thoughts on something else, just like he had learned to do these past few months.

“Are you alright darling?” Maxwell asked. He had stopped as well, staying at Jacob's side.

“I'm fine. Just caught off guard.” He said, and they resumed walking. He wondered why Maxwell hadn't warned him about this. Maybe he just didn't think of it as a problem. Or maybe it had been a test. Either way, Jacob hadn't flinched, and the evening could go one. Though he hoped it wouldn't last too long, as he was not sure staying in crowds of humans would be very beneficial for him, no matter how good he had gotten at controling himself, he was still new to this, and didn't want to test his luck.  
As they walked through the crowd of people, humans mostly, mixed with vampires. It appeared that Jacob could spot most non humans guest by just a glance at them. They recognized eachother. It was something he couldn't quite explain, more of an instinct than a conscious process. There were more than he expected too. He had thought there must have been around 20 vampires in the city, but apparently they were in a larger number, twice or thrice as much. How odd that no one ever noticed them. Out of nowhere, a woman, accompagnied by a man stepped in front of them. The woman, a vampire was grinning, looking at Maxwell. She wore a beautiful dress, had dark brown hair, and looked like she was in her twenties, even if her real age might be far from this number. She wore a lot of expensive looking jewelry. 

“Mr.Roth! So good to see you in one piece!” She exclaimed. “I heard what happened at the Alhambra, I was worried something may have happened to you.” She had a heavy accent, that gave away her origins. She probably grew up in a poor family. She seemed to know Maxwell well though, and Jacob wondered for how long they had known eachother.  
Maxwell smiled back at her, polite and charming as ever.

“It's equally good to see you Clara my dear. As you can see, I'm mostly alive and well.” She giggled at this. 

“Oh I should introduce you to my companion.” She said, clasping her hand, and looking at the man next to her, also a vampire. She took his arm, with a smile and introduced him “This Robert Kopp. He's German. He's a business man.”

Mr.Kopp smiled at the young woman before turning his attention to Maxwell.

“It is always good to meet one of Clara's friend.” He said, and shook Roth's hand . He had an heavy German accent, though in itself his English was good.

For a split second Jacob let himself be distracted from the conversation to look around him. There were so many people, all looked so rich. Jacob never thought he would find himself among that kind of crowd. At least not as a guest. He had been to that kind of event once or twice, but it was always for a job, ad he rarely enjoyed the festivities. He focus again on the conversation when he heard his name being said.

“This is my protegee, Jacob Frye.” Maxwell said. “Jacob dear, Clara used to be part of the same company as me. She is a very talented comedian, and a remarkable woman.”   
Maxwell was smiling, and the woman giggled again, clearly flattered. Jacob didn't know exactly what happened between the two back then, but they probably had known eachother for quite a while.

“It's very nice to meet you Mr.Frye. Don't listen to this flatterer though, he always exaggerate these things.”

“Delighted to meet you.” Jacob said. “I'm afraid I'm tempted to believe hiù, you do look remarkable.” 

She laughed.

“Oh my, you too are quite the flatterer.” She seemed satisfied by this. “Oh, this reminds me of something-”  
As she started speaking, a tall and elegant man approached, and they all fell silent. He had well combed and short hair, arbored a mustache and looked stern, he was not smiling, and looked at Clara with cold and demanding eyes. She quickly excused herself and her and her companion left.

Jacob didn't like that man. He glanced at Maxwell who was not frowning, but his expression was not a happy one. He didn't like him either.

“The great Crwford Starrick.” Maxwell sarcastically said. “What a pleasure. What brings you to look for my company.?”  
Starrick's expression didn't shift. He didn't even look at Jacob. Noteven a galnce. It was as if he didn't exist.

“I was merely looking to inquire of your well being, brother.”   
Brother? Jacob tried to hide his surprise. He figured that he mustn't have succeeded, but anyway, no one paid him any attention, so he was probably fine either way. He looked at Maxwell's face. He appeared to be very annoyed.

“How kind of you. As you can see, I'm doing well, despite recent events.” He had a forced smile, clearly there was tension between the two. Even though Starrick remained composed, he was not relaxed either. 

“I heard what happened.” Starrick said, his voice remaining calm. “I'm glad the damages stopped at the building.”

“So am I.”

They stared at eachother, or more like glared. Then Starrick looked at Jacob, the same way one would look at an insignificant insect. Far from being intimidated, Jacob felt annoyed. He didn't like being looked down on.

“Who is this young man.?” Starrick asked.

“Jacob Frye, An associate. He was with me when the Alhambra abruptly caught on fire.” Maxwell put a hand on Jacob's shoulder, whether it was a protective or possessive gesture, Jacob couldn't say. Maybe it was a bit of both.

“I see. Unfortunate.”

“Unfortunate indeed.” Jacob said, with a heavily sarcastic tone, and a forced smile.

Starrick looked him up and down, as if trying to decide what to think of Jacob. In the end he appeared to be rather unimpressed. 

“Well I hope you'll enjoy this evening.” Then Starrick looked at Jacob. “And keep your young friend on a leash. You know what happens if he attacks someone.”

“Don't worry dear brother, he won't. I'll make sure of it.” Maxwell said, still forcing a smile. 

When Starrick finally left, Jacob understood why Maxwell despised the man. He was arrogant, and he did behave like a king. Though he was still wondering what this brother thing was about. He made a mental note of asking Maxwel about it later, as for now, the older man looked like he was about to murder someone. Seeing Starrick put him in a horrible mood apparently.

“What a prick.” Jacob said, watching Starrick leave. Maxwell looked at him, and appeared to relax a bit, he even smiled, amused by the spontaneous remark.

“Dreadful isn't he? Let's hope he won't come back and we can enjoy this evening. There are many more pleasant people I want you to meet” Maxwell said, now looking rather enthusiastic. He was quick to change his mood, but in this specific occasion, it was a good thing. 

True to his word, Maxwell introduced Jacob to a lot of people, vampires, mostly, though some humans did come to talk to him. People from the entertainment world, or some of his criminal connections, certainly. As the time passed, Jacob started to feel more and more exhausted byt the constant presence of human beings. It probably showed, as Maxwell suggested they found a less crowded place for him to rest a bit. 

Of course during this kind of events, usually everywhere was full of people, but outside in the gardens, there usually were considerably less people, especially in the less lit places. Vampires weren't bothered by darkness. They had a better eyesight in the dark than humans, they had to, since they only lived at night. 

They found a nice place in the garden, they hd left by the back door of the mansion, Maxwell appeared to know the place well, he was the one who brought the two of them there. The garden was as impressive as the rest. There were fountains, and alleys of flowers, and further away Maxwell told him there was a small hay labyrinth. They didn't go there though, they stayed near the building and Jacob sat down on the first stone bench he saw when they left the building. Maxwell was still standing, and walked off for a bit, to look at some flowers planted in a large pot nearby. He appeared to like the extravagance of the place, which was not very surprising. Jacob found it pretty, but he wasn't sure he felt really comfortable surrounded by so much wealth.

“At least he keeps this place in a good state.” Maxwell noted, as he walked back to Jacob, stopping right in front of him.

Jacob was looking at the sky, enjoying the quiet. This was a cloudy night, and he wondered if it would rain. He couldn't see any stars. Sometimes he caught a glimpse of moonlight through the clouds, but it was only brief. He was starting to miss the sunlight.

“Do you ever miss the sun?” He asked on an impulse.

Maxwell was staring at Jacob intently when the young man looked at him waiting for his answer. He looked away, not sure how he was feeling about that.

“I was never really fond of the sun. Too bright to look at, unlike the moon.” Maxwell said “But I guess I do miss it occasionally. Mostly sunsets, they used to be my favourite time of the day.”

Jacob chuckled at that. 

“You're awfully romantic.” 

“Did you notice that just now, darling?” Maxwell said, smiling. He was not the smallest bit reluctant to admit it. He had never shown to be ashamed or embarrassed to be who he was. Jacob admired that in him, just like he liked how romantic Maxwell was.. Used to be.

“No I knew that already.” He sighed. He was feeling less agitated by the crowd now, but being alone with Maxwell like this, with ballroom music filtering through some of the open windows of the mansion, it made him significantly uneasy. He was so terribly torn between his feelings. He wondered if he would ever forgive him, if he let his feelingsfor the man speak? Maybe he would. But would he forgive himself for this? It felt like if he accepted this fate by forgiving Maxwell, he would be throwing away his humanity- or what was left of it, at least. That would make him a monster.

The music was suddenly louder. Someone must have opened a nearby window, Jacob thought. The guests had just started dancing when they left. They both were surprised by the sound, which may have sounded way louder to them than it would sound to humans. It was a meoldy that fit a waltz, and Jacob could imagine all the couples joining for his dance inside. It was an easy dance to master, even if he himself had never cared to master it.   
Probably out of a whim, Maxwel bowed slightly and extended his hand to Jacob.

“Would you honor me with a dance?”

Jacob shook his head chuckling, and took the extended hand.

“At your own risks. I'm a terrible dancer. But you know that.”

Maxwell grinned, delighted. Jacob stood up and they started waltzing. It wasn't the first time they danced together. Though it felt no different than the first time they had shared such a private moment. At the time Jacob had felt in a similar state of mind. He was torn between his attraction to the man and what he grew up learning was right. He was aware that society did not look kindly on two men being lovers, and he had no idea how he felt about it himself.  
Now he didn't care about Maxwell being a man, they were both well past this. Somehow, it had been simpler when that was the only moral issue Jacob faced. 

As they danced, Jacob abruptly let go of his thoughts. He had missed being this close to Maxwell, he had missed their private moments, and he wanted to enjoy it for now, and forget everything that had happened. Just for a moment he wanted to pretend they were back to easier times, when he was so blissfully ignorant of all that would happen, and so, so blind. 

“Jacob darling.” Maxwell started. “I owe you apologies.”

Jacob looked at the older man with a surprised look. He wasn't expecting Maxwell to apologize. And he was curious to hear what exactly he would be apologizing for.

“I understand your anger. You were forced on a path that you didn't choose. I shouldn't have taken that choice for you, even if it was the right choice. It's just like I took away your freedom.”Maxwell continued. They were still dancing, staring at each others.   
“And I am sorry for that, my dear.”

Jacob sighed. This didn't change a thing, not really. They couldn't go back in time. What was done, was done, no amount of apologizing would fix that. But this did change something, only in Jacob's mind. He had never expected Maxwell Roth to ever apologize. He was a stubborn man, one who never looked back. Why he decided to apologize now, Jacob didn't know. Perhaps nostalgia of the times before. But the reason didn't matter. Right now, in that very specific moment, Jacob's mind was clear for the first time in what felt like forever. He knew clearly what he was feeling, and even if it wouldn't last, he wanted to take advantage of this occasion.

“I don't expect your forgiveness, I am not asking for that” Maxwell continued.

Jacob sighed. Was he going to make a speech too? He stopped dancing and gave Maxwell his most exasperated look before kissing him.   
It was a brief kiss, but it brought back many memories, many lost sensations that both of them had missed so much. Perhaps they didn't even realize it before? Jacob had tried not to think of it, it had been easier to deal with his feelings that way. When the kiss ended, the clarity that had filled his mind started to dissipate. He knew this was a one time occurrence, but he had the feeling that this also was the beginning of a change, in their relationship, of course, but in his mindset also. In that moment, no matter how short it had lasted, he had embraced this new life of his. He had given up on fighting it, because he knew that this fight with himself only made him feel miserable. It only postponed the inevitable. But these things took time, he couldn't force himself to give up everything he had ever believed in and just accept this with no second thoughts. That would be easier, but things were rarely easy in Jacob's life. Or in Life in general , no matter how he liked to pretend otherwise.  
Maxwell was positively stunned. He stared at Jacob a long time, trying to understand what this meant. 

“Jacob-” He started.

“You were ruining the mood.” Jacob simply said, breaking their embrace. “Shouldn't we go back inside? I'm sure there are many people who would love to exchange a word with you.”  
It only took a few second for Maxwell to gather himself back to his usual relaxed composure. He straightened himself and smiled.

“Right you are. Let's go back then.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter... it goes quite fast, but it's a transition chapter of some sort.. I need to set up a certain amount of events in motions, so it may appear messy.... But it's important so I"m doing that. I don't want to stay too long on this part of the fic, as I need to move on to the actual plot. (yes there is a plot ahah)  
> I hope you'll enjoy this chapter still. :)

The night eventually ended, and without any Starrick interruption, which made this night an overall good night. It was around four in the morning when they got back to their small home, which as it happened was not that far from the Alhambra, probably for the sake of convenience, as they spent most of their day there. They just couldn't bring their human victims there, so they needed this place as well. It was more private too, which was nice.

Jacob immediately changed back into more comfortable clothes. He didn't like fancy and unpractical outfits, so the sooner he was out of them the better. He was feeling quite good after this night, like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Which didn't change the fact that he questioned himself on whether this was a good thing or not. Damn brain, leave me some space, he thought. He had finished changing into his regular-and how so comfortable- clothes, when Maxwell entered the room to get changed as well. He would probably got to his fancy party outfit to a more practical type of fancy outfit. It made sense, he was the owner of a musical, and leader of the most powerful gang in town, he had to keep up appearances as such. And he probably loved it anyway. 

Jacob sat down on the large bed, which was rarely ever used, as the two of them rarely slept at all, and waited for him to be done. He knew they would probably leave right away for the Alhambra, as they needed to be there before sunrise. Traveling by day was a pain. But he had little patience, as always, and decided to make conversation. He remembered that he had a few questions for Maxwell-his mentor- regarding a few things that had happened at the party. He was quite confused by a few things he had seen and heard, and could use a few clarification. He had been upset about becoming a vampire, but he had not thought that getting used to this whole new society and its rules would be such a hard thing. 

“You and Starrick are brothers?” Jacob asked. Honestly, this was on the top of his list of confusing things. He had never heard Maxwell refer to Starrick as a family member, and the two of them were just so hostile it was hard to see how they could possibly be related.

Maxwell glanced at Jacob from over his shoulder, as he buttoned up his shirt. 

“Ah yes, this.” Maxwell started. “We have the same creator, which sadly makes us siblings.” He turned around to face Jacob. “I have other siblings, some I probably never met. Most of them are not worth meeting, I'm sure.” 

For some reason, it felt odd to Jacob to imagine that Maxwell had been human at a time. He knew nothing about his life before he became a vampire, or how he became one for that matter. Jacob was hit by the fact that he didn't know that much about the man standing in front of him. 

“Who is your creator?” Jacob asked, feeling especially curious bout Maxwell's past. He wanted to know more about him. Maybe it would help him make up his mind. 

Make up his mind on whether or not he would leave once he knew how to live alone as a vampire. After he had kissed Maxwell, he had made a decision. If he still couldn't accept this new life of his, if he couldn't forgive Maxwell, he would leave, probably even leave the country, and never come back. He would cut all ties to his human life, no matter how hard I would be, especially because of Evie, whom he still intended on checking on regularly. He couldn't bring himself to talk to her now, but he wanted to make sure she was doing fine. If he left, he would leave her behind. But this was necessary. He couldn't spend his whole life-n hypothetical eternity- with this bitterness growing inside him. Of course, he was sure that Maxwell would not take that well, but it didn't matter.

The idea of having a solution, a way out of some sort, helped him clear his mind. Untill then he had felt trapped in this situation. But leaving felt like regaining control of his life, regaining his freedom.  
Of course he still wasn't sure about that. Part of him wanted to stay with Maxwell. Ever since he awoke to this new life of his, he had felt a sort of strnge connection to the man, despite how angry and hurt he had been, he had found it hard to resist the need to be with the man, he felt like he needed Maxwell's approval, his attention. It was something that Jacob had felt in the past, at the beginning of their relationship it had been especially strong, but now it was back, but in a odd and almost unfamiliar way. A sort of instinct, maybe. He didn't know what to think of it, and chose to ignore it. However now that he considered leaving, this feeling became a problem, perhaps more so than his affection, his love for Maxwell.

Maxwell stayed quiet for a while after Jacob's question. Like he was thinking about his answer, I appeared to be a more complicated subject than Jacob had expected. Maxwell picked up the scarf he had prepared and adjusted it around his neck

“Her name was Elizabeth. She was a very beautiful and cunning woman.” He said, picking up his vest next “But she was cruel and selfish. She made things.. complicated.” Maxwell was frowning, as if remembering something particularly unpleasant. “But she is part of the past, and I prefer focusing on the present.”

“I see.” Jacob was more than a little intrigued by the answer, but he also felt like he wouldn't get more out of Maxwell on this subject than this. At least not tonight. “Is there any other of your siblings that you actually like, or are they all like Starrick?”

Maxwell smiled, appearing to be amused by the questions.

“You ask a lot of questions today dear boy. Why so curious all of a sudden?”

Jacob shrugged.

“I'm just curious after my first meeting with other vampires than you. Is that really so odd?”

“I suppose it makes sense.” He said, he didn't look annoyed by the questions. Jacob had always been curious, and so far as he knew, Maxwell had always been somewhat enthusiastic to share things with him, he seemed to like Jacob's curiosity. “To answer your question, Vampires rarely get along with their siblings, at least from my experience. So no, I do not have any sibling that I wish to keep in contact with. Starrick is simply…. The worst of the lot.”

“Lucky you, living in the same city as him, making business with him..” Jacob said, sarcastic. He had seen the man once, but he really couldn't stand him. Needless to say, his last remark before he left only helped to further anger Jacob. Had they been in another context, the man would've been punched in the face, and more even. 

“It's only a momentary occupation.” Maxwell said. He had finished dressing up. “I don't stay in one place more than a few years. Things would quickly get boring otherwise, wouldn't they?”

Jacob was surprised by this. It hadn't crossed his mind Maxwell would eventually leave the city. Why didn't it? It only made sense. But of course he still looked at things from a human perspective, from a mortal perspective. 

“Of course” Maxwell continued. “I may stay here a bit longer, I can't leave you alone here, nor take you along with me as long as you're still in your unstable phase.”  
“Unstable phase?” 

“Young vampires are usually more prone to violence, they're also generally more hungry, and generally more careless. They need to be chaperoned, otherwise they go wild.” 

“Does that happen often?” Jacob asked, slightly worried.

“Quite often. Sometimes no matter how much you try to train a young vampire, they end up going wild. A shame really.” He smiled reassuringly, and moved closer to stroke Jacob's hair, Maxwell had certainly noticed his increasingly worried expression. “Don't worry darling, you're doing fine so far, I'm confident it will remain this way.” 

Jacob stared up at Maxwell, who was still stroking his hair, he seemed somewhat absorbed in his thoughts now. He wanted to close his eyes, Maxwell's touch felt nice, relaxing, loving. Eventually Maxwell snapped out of his thoughts and removed his hand.

“We should get going, I wouldn't want to be stuck here all day.” 

Jacob nodded, somewhat dazed, and stood to follow him out of the room. They headed to the Alhambra, where Jacob helped Maxwell with a few Blighters related thing. They planned a few operation, and even planned a little expedition with just the two of them, like in all times. Jacob was over the moon, he hadn't been nearly active neough these days, and it was extremely frustrating. He had wanted to go to one of the underground fight clubs he used to go to back when he was human, he knew that Maxwell liked these places. He used to be a fighter too apparently. Though, whenever they went together he just watched Jacob fight, not participating himself. However when he had suggested this, Maxwell told him no. He said that fighting with humans was a bad idea. For the blood, but also because Jacob was now much stronger than most human beings, and as he was still a young vampire, he would certainly accidentally kill his opponents. Jacob had been moody the rest of that day, even though he understood Maxwell's arguments, he hated being unable to spend his energy. It was frustrating. Especially since he felt like he had a lot more now that he was a vampire. Which is one of the few aspects he actually liked, he was never tired physically. The downside being he couldn't take out that energy on anything. 

 

However it seemed like that night would be the end of that build up of energy and the frustration that went with it.  
They indeed went to infiltrate and take down an opponent's business. And they repeated that regularly after. Then after Jacob started to get more used to his new condition, and learnt to control it better, they attempted going to a fight club. Just to watch. It had proven to be difficult. Every drop of blood was a challenge. Jacob came to the conclusion that fighting wouldn't be a great idea for now. 

 

As the days, weeks and months went on, Jacob got more and more comfortable with his new life. He felt the changes inside him, inside his thoughts. He was feeling less and less guilty, less and less bitter about all this. He still checked on Evie, and it was during these times that he felt nostalgic of the old times, and bitter about his new life. But he figured, being dead wouldn't have changed a thing for Evie.

Jacob's mind progressively cleared during this time, and as a result his relationship with Maxwell improved. Jacob, and probably Maxwell too, knew that their old relationship was gone, they would never be able to go back to what it was. That didn't mean the couldn't build something else. Jacob found that his emotions tended to be stronger now, it went for bad emotions, but for the good ones as well. The love he had for Maxwell was much more intense in the strangest of ways. He had been feeling especially.. in need for attention. But not just anyone's attention. He wanted Maxwell's attention. Anything. Praise, touch, just conversations. And it got on his nerve when he felt neglected, or when Maxwell paid too much attention to someone else. He had no idea where that came from, and wondered if it had something to do with him being his creator, or something else vampire related. He didn't dare to ask anyone. He had hesitated to ask Clara, whom they had been meeting with quite regularly, and who he appreciated, but thought it would be too awkward. It was also strange how familiar she was with Maxwell in private, but whenever they met in a public setting, she remained very formal. Though she never called him anything else than Roth. It was clear they knew eachothers well, and she seemed to help with some blighters related issues, as well as giving her opinions on the shows presented at the Alhambra. Despite him quite not understanding her relationship with Maxwell, Jacob still talked to her about a lot of things, Clara was a cunning and very kind woman, and she appeared to be very well informed on vampire related stuff. She knew almost everything that went on in the 'night society', as she liked to call it.  
It was basically gossip. But Jacob thought it was a good way to slowly get to learn the thing to do and not to do in this whole new world he had been shoved into. Once Maxwell seemed to notice that Jacob liked to talk to her while Maxwell was busy at the Alhambra, Clara seemed to come more often.

One night, as Clara was visiting with fresh news on one of Starrick's protegee, the friendly gossip was interrupted when someone showed up uninvited at the Alhambra, someone Jacob didn't know, but he knew he was a vampire. He came in like he owned the place. The man was blond haired, blue eyed. He was quite handsome, and immediately headed toward Maxwell, with the brightest of smiles. Maxwell didn't look so pleased by his presence. Neither did Clara, who stopped talking as soon as he entered her field of vision.

“Maxwell Roth! So you are still around after all!” The man said, he had a foreign, eastern accent.

The man pulled Maxwell into a friendly hug without warning, and he appeared to be too surprised to react. Jacob was glaring at the foreigner, he didn't like that man at all.

“Joseph.” Maxwell said. He looked angry.

Jacob was sitting on a sofa next to Clara, and looked at her for answers, as she seemed to know the man. Clara just shook her head, apparently she disliked this Joseph.  
Joseph turned his attention toward them, especially Clara, whom he seemed to recognize. He opened wide his arms, as if he expected a hug.

“Sweet and beautiful Clara! What a delight to see you here!”

Clara frowned. “I can't say the same, Joseph.”The man stepped toward her and Clara tensed up, she moved closer to Jacob, not looking for protection but offering protection. Jacob thought he didn't need it, but he did appreciate the gesture.

“Is that how you welcome your brother?” Joseph asked, with a wide grin. Everyone seemed to be tense, but he didn't appear to care. Then he spotted Jacob, and his face became dark. He forced a smile, and looked back at Clara. “Who is the young man?”

Maxwell stepped in before Clara could answer.

“His name is Jacob. He's my protegee.” His voice was dark with anger, a quiet, seething anger, that would without doubt soon get out of hand. Jacob could see when Maxwell was about to explode. At first it had seemed like he would randomly get angry, but now Jacob could read the signs, and knew what angered Maxwell, and on some level, he just could feel it when the man was getting angry. Right now it would not end well if this Joseph didn't leave, anyone could probably see it.

“Yours?” He snorted. “And I thought you a man of good tastes.”

“Leave Joseph.” Clara ordered. 

“I came here to have a little chat with Max. A rather important matter. You could probably join us, I'm sure you would benefit from hearing what I have to say.”

“Then speak and be done with it.” Roth said. “You are not welcome here and you know it.”

“Still bitter? The both of you?” Joseph sighed. “After all these years… Well fine, I'll give you a piece of information, because I'm a forgiving man.” He smirked. “There are hunters in town. They may have followed me-”

Maxwell snapped, with no warning at all, and he grabbed the man by the neck and lifted him off the ground, fangs bared. Clara stood up, rushing to Maxwell's side.

"Did you come here just to tell us that? I am done with your little games Joseph. We are not playing anymore." 

Joseph grinned, despite his situation. Jacob thought the man was probably insane.

"If you would just listen to me-" he spoke with difficulty. "I come here in peace I thought you might want to know-"

Maxwell's hold on his throat must have gotten stronger as the man's words were abruptly cut, he was clearly in pain. A bit more strength, and his neck would probably start cracking, being crushed in a mix of blood, muscles and bones. Vampires were strong, that Jacob knew, but Maxwell seemed to be particularly strong to him. He had seen him crush bones with just a twist of the hand. It was a scary thing to witness. 

"You drew them here didn't you? I should kill you and be done with it-"

“Roth. Don't kill him." Clara interrupted. " You know you can't. Starrick is waiting for you to make a mistake. He'll have your head.” She seemed genuinely concerned, however was it for Maxwell or Joseph, Jacob was not sure he knew. Maybe she didn't know either. Maxwell didn't seem convinced by her arguments.

“Let Starrick come. I won't let him escape once more. He comes back, no matter what we do. this needs to end."

Joseph was trying to speak, but the pressure on his throat made him unable to vocalize anything. Jacob was watching. He didn't know what to do, didn't understand what was going on. He figured this Joseph was a prick, and he wouldn't mind if he died. But Clara's words made him worried. If Maxwell killed this man, Starrick would want to have his head. And as Much as Jacob hated Starrick, he knew how influent he was, and how easy it would be for him to get rid of Maxwell.

“What about the boy? Do you think Starrick will let him live? Would you want to drag him into another mess without asking his opinion?” Clara continued.  
This time her words appeared to reach Maxwell, who dropped Joseph and glared at him, then at Clara; before he left the Alhambra altogether, enraged. Jacob didn't know where he was going, and he wanted to follow, but he felt like it wouldn't be a good idea. When Maxwell was this angry, he himself wasn't sure of what exactly he was capable to do to even the people he loved.  
Joseph was on the floor, gathering himself, rubbing his neck. His smile was gone now. He looked up at Clara, who was staring at him with cold eyes.

“I didn't drag them here on purpose.” Joseph said. “They've been following me for a while. I was stuck in a small community, I happen to have angered them. I thought that London would be a better place to hide, that they wouldn't follow there.” He looked up at Clara with pleading eyes. “I hoped you would have forgiven me, that we could-”  
Clara turned away from him, as if it was too hard to look at him. Was it pity, hesitation, disdain? “leave” She simply said.  
Joseph stood up.

“Please Clara. You know we're vulnerable when we're alone. You two are the only family I have left.. We could go back to the old times-”

“Leave Joseph. If Roth comes back I will let him have your head.”  
Joseph looked hurt by this, and opened his mouth. He glanced at Jacob, and appeared to have changed his mind, then left without saying another word.

Jacob was still on the sofa, completely lost. What had just happened? He didn't understand what was going on.  
Clara came back to sit on the sofa next to him. She looked exhausted, angry. She sighed heavily.

“I should explain you what happened.” She started. “But it's a very long and complicated story, and perhaps not mine to tell… I suspect Roth to know more than me on those events anyway, so you should ask him.. Just know that Joseph is my brother, and that he caused us and our kind a lot of pain. If he tries to approach you, you would be well advised to stay away, Jacob.” 

“I think I can do that. He looks like the kind of person I would enjoy punching repeatedly in the face.” He simply said, with a smile, trying to get Clara to relax a bit. It worked to an extent, as she started laughing.

“Oh that doesn't surprise me. It's natural not to like anyone hostile with your creator. Or too close to your creator. I remember how angry I would get whenever David, my creator would show up with a new companion, and I would get even angrier when the two of them ended up fighting and parting ways.” 

“You don't strike me as the jealous type.” Jacob said, eyebrow raised. She seemed to be fine with her companion leaving her for months to go on business trips, and never worried he would meet someone else. She even sai she wouldn't mind if he did, as long as he came back to her. 

“I'm not. But there is a special bond between a vampire and his creator. We do share their blood, and they brought us to life a second time. It isn't inherently romantic, it is just the way we're connected. It makes us act like jealous children. Why do you think vampire siblings usually fight a lot? We're like human children fighting for our parent's love and attention.” She laughed. “Of course it's nothing like a parent-child relationship. It's hard to describe it. We just call it the Bond, it's the strongest link existing between vampires, it keeps a certain hierarchy, a certain organization among us, I suppose.”

Jacob stared at her, fascinated by her knowledge, and also relieved to hear the answer to one of the questions that had been troubling him for a while without even having to ask. So the reason he felt this strange new connection to Maxwell… Was this Bond thing? 

“I didn't know that.” Jacob said.

“No wonder ou didn't. I don't see dear Mr.Roth telling you about these things. He was never interested by all that.” She sighed, she looked tired. “And it's also a very sensitive subject for him. I hope he's not doing something stupid.” She looked toward the exit, where Maxwell had left in a rage, and Jacob followed her gaze. He too was wondering where Maxwell went, and he hoped he wouldn't cause too much mayhem. Though realistically, Jacob knew he would at least break a few things.. Or people.

“At least not something too stupid.” She corrected, followed by another long and tired sigh.  
Jacob didn't know much about her or Maxwell's past, and what they shared, but he saw that she genuinely cared for the man. It just made him even more curious about their relationship.

“What exactly I your relationship with Maxwell? You two seem like you've known eachothers for a long time.” Jacob asked.

Clara looked amused. She narrowed her eyes and smirked.

“Oh? Is that Jealousy I detect Mister Frye?”

Jacob rolled his eyes. He wasn't Jealous. Alright, maybe sometimes. But it was because of that Bond thing. He wasn't worried Maxwell would end up with her. No way. Or Would he do that? Technically he and Jacob weren't lovers anymore-

“It really is not. I was just curious.” He sounded a hint too defensive, and he hoped she didn't pick up on it. 

“Don't worry, there is no reason for you to be jealous. I'm very much in love with my dear Robert.” She looked dreamy for a second while saying that. It wasn't difficult for Jacob to see that she was sincere. “It is just as Roth said, we used to be actors. It was a long time ago. I was made into a vampire sooner than Roth, and met him again later. He had become a vampire as well, it was such a surprise!” She smiled. “He had changed quite a bit, and gained a few tragic scars, but he was still as charming as I remembered. We became good friends, and still are to this day.”

“That's one lucky coincidence then.” Jacob smiled. He was somewhat reassured-not because of jealousy at all-but it made him happy that Maxwell at least had people he could count on. He looked like a rather lonely man, despite the show he put on. Jacob was sure that it's partly why they both clicked together. They were both terribly lonely people. But just like Jacob had Evie-or used to- Maxwell had Clara. He remembered Evie, and nostalgia hit him. He wished he could speak to his sister one last time. But how could he show up now without explanation, and then leave her again? It would be cruel. It was better if she thought he was dead.

 

Later when Maxwell came back, he was covered in blood and looked like he had been fighting. Clara had stayed with Jacob, but Maxwell was still angry, and told her to leave him alone. He didn't throw Jacob out, but didn't talk to him either. He was probably just not in the mood. Not that Jacob wasn't hurt by this. He hadn't done anything, and yet he was ignored. It lasted for a few days, Maxwell barely talked to him, and was easily irritable.  
He ended up calming down, and the same day, announced Jacob they would be leaving the city in a few days. Jacob was so surprised he almost choked on nothing.

“What? Where are we going?” Jacob asked.

“We're leaving the city to a safer place. There are hunters in London, and they've already killed a few of our kind. I don't want us to linger here, especially with- him around.” He didn't say the name, but from the way he said 'him' Jacob knew he talked about Joseph. “I'm thinking that leaving the country would do us both good. Traveling is good for the soul, or so they say.”

As much as Jacob had always wanted to travel outside of England, as much as he understood why they needed to leave, he still felt alarmed by the idea. What about Evie? He already hadn't checked on her a lot these past days, because of Maxwell's mood and the hunters lurking around. He knew that her and Henry had moved in together, so that reassured him, but he still felt the need to make sure she was fine. He had abandoned her, and he would feel guilty if anything happened to her because he wasn't there to help.

“I-” he didn't know what to say. It was all to sudden, and he wasn't sure about anything. “It's a bit sudden, I'm not sure I'm-”

Maxwell stepped closer and cupped Jacob's face in his hand, meeting his eyes. The gesture surprised Jacob, he hadn't been very tactile these last days.

“Darling, we do not have much of a choice. If you stay, they'll kill you” He sighed. “I cannot force you to come with me Jacob, If you really want to stay, then so be it.” He dropped his hands. “You have three days to decide. When Hunters arrive somewhere, they track us down until they've killed every single vampire in the area. We should already be gone.” That said, he left to get back to his usual work.

 

Jacob left that night. He was troubled; and he needed to check on Evie, for what would perhaps be the last time. 

He finally reached at Evie's home, his former home. 

However when he arrived, something wasn't right. There were people in the house, he saw lights, but it wasn't Evie. He felt the presence of several human beings. Four of them. Two kids, whose heartbeat was weaker than their parents. He had a hard time believing his new senses, thought that maybe he wasn't focused on the right house. So he climb down the roof, and approached the door from the street. He could hear voices more clearly. It wasn't Evie. His thought froze. She was gone. So was Henry.  
It was seven in the evening, and he shouldn't have been that startled when someone called out to him.

“What are you doing sir?”

It was a policeman in patrol. Jacob supposed his attitude was suspicious. He gathered himself as much as he could and smiled at the policeman.

“Good evening sir. I just wanted to check on a friend of mine, but I'm afraid she may have moved without warning.” The policeman seemed suspicious but at least was curious enough to let him finish his sentence. “Do you happen to know if someone moved out of the neighborhood recently?”

The policeman, who looked rather old and had an impressive mustache, seemed to ponder the question for a while before answering.

“Well I patrol quite often in the neighborhood, and I've definitely seen people moving furniture in that house.' He pointed at what used to be Evie's home. “I remember an old lady telling me she was relieved because the old residents were apparently quite troublesome.”

Jacob's heart sank. Evie truly was gone then.

“Ah I see. Thank you.” He forced a laugh. “I guess I'll have to find out where my friend moved. I bet I must have received a letter and jut forgot about it. Would be just like me.”  
The policeman, who appeared less suspicious now, nodded. 

“I hope you'll find out where your friend moved. Good evening, sir.”

“Good evening to you too.”

The policeman left, resuming his patrol in the perimeter. 

Jacob was completely heartbroken. He felt like he had lost his last piece of humanity, an important part of himself. Evie was certainly alive, he didn't doubt that… But he would never see her again. And he probably wouldn't be able to find her. At least, he hoped she would be safe, that she would get married to Henry and have a long and happy life with him. Maybe she would even manage to get away from the criminal world they were forced into by their father.  
He Headed back to Maxwell's place. He didn't see the point of going to the Alhambra, Maxwell was busy settling their departure, and relaying all his different responsibilities to other people, so Jacob would probably have nothing to do. Plus he didn't even feel like seeing people right now. He needed to think.

Jacob was pressing random piano keys, when he heard the door open. Maxwell stepped in. It was four in the morning, and Jacob had spent the whole night thinking, eventually fell asleep for a few hours-he may not need sleep but he could fall asleep if he wasn't especially active- And hen woke up to think again. He was hungry too, so he went to feed himself, the human was still alive an chained in one of he room of the house, though not by much. Had Jacob been less depressed and more hungry, his victim would have probably died. Now Maxwell was back, and all his thinking led him to the same conclusion.  
He had nothing left here. He held on to Evie, but even when she was still there, it was just a excuse, a way to hang onto his old life. He had lost his sister and everything related to his old life the day he died. He didn't know why he had been so stubborn, hanging on scraps that he was to blind to realize were already gone.

What he had though, was an eternity ahead of him, a new life, and Maxwell. During all this time, Maxwell hadn't left his side, and in the end, he needed him. He needed his help to get used to his new life, but he also needed something, or someone to build his new life on. He could see himself starting his new life with Maxwell. He already had lived for almost a year with the man, and they had been mostly pleasant, once he had let himself appreciate it.

“I'm coming with you.” Jacob said. “I have nothing left here.”

Maxwell smiled, and went to stand next to Jacob, who was still sitting at the piano, looking at the keys. 

“I'm happy to hear that darling. I wouldn't have wanted to leave without you.” 

Jacob mindlessly pressed one of the piano keys.

“You would have missed me, that's for sure.” He forced himself to laugh, but it was a sad laugh. He was mourning his lost life. He had been angry up until then, but now he realized that it was all gone. Everything. 

“Are you alright dear?” He was standing behind Jacob, and couldn't see his face, but he had probably picked up his bad mood anyway, it's not like he had the strength to hide it.

“You should teach me how to play the piano one day.” Jacob said, dodging the question. “I like hearing you play. I wish I knew how to play too.”

Maxwell put a hand on his shoulder. 

“Of course, I would love to teach you. Shall I play something for you?”

Jacob stood up to leave his place to the older man. 

“I would like that.”

Maxwell played the piano and Jacob listened, it helped him calm down. The music, being near Maxwell, it was comforting.  
Four days later, they were on a boat leaving for France. They were going to visit Europe. Jacob did need a change of air after all.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry  
> I really have never written porn, but I felt like trying it out with that fic. It doesn't really come naturally, so be understanding. aha  
> I put a line in the chapter so you just have to skip the "porn" if you don't wanna read it. I'll try to train some more at writing nsfw stuff maybe it'll be better next time
> 
> EDIT. My friends say the sex is good. You choose to believe whoever you want.
> 
> Anyway, other than that, this chapter brings some new characters in the picture- no they're not here just for the drama. You'll see. :p

The few years Jacob spent traveling Europe with Maxwell had been more than beneficial for him. They had seen many different country, and although it had been strange to be so far from home, in a country he didn't even know the language of, Jacob found himself enjoying himself. It had also been the occasion for him to distance himself from his past, and meet new people.

However, his past was still there, with him, a constant presence that he could not entirely leave. It was like a ghost, lurking over his shoulder. From time to time the ghost would touch him, sending chills down his spine. In those moments, he would remember all that he had, and he would of course remember Evie. Sometimes the nostalgia could last for a few days, during which he felt rather down. He tried his best to change his mind, but most of the time the feeling left as abruptly as it came. He found that ironical, he was the one who died, yet he was mourning the living. He wondered if Evie thought of him like that too. If there were day she remembered her brother and would feel a sense of nostalgia and sorrow wash over her at the most unexpected times. Jacob wished that she could just forget about him. But he knew that his sister was probably still grieving him. They had been eachother's support all this time, and Jacob knew that if Evie had gone missing like this, he would have been unable to move on.  
At least she managed to move on, and she was probably still alive. That was something.

 

During their time in Germany, Jacob had been trying out hunting alone. He had had the authorization from Maxwell, who thought the young vampire was ready to roam the streets alone, with a very low chance of him attacking every passerby. And so, Jacob enjoyed walking around the streets at night, hanging out in pubs-or the German version of them- , and regretting not being able to drink German beer. Although he had tried, just for the taste once. Of course, he had thrown up right after, as his stomach could not process human food anymore, but he thought it tasted better than most of the beers found in England. 

During one of his nights out, he had made an unexpected encounter. As he was playing cards with some locals -after a few months he had learned a few German words, enough to order drinks, and play card games with the local- He was interrupted by a familiar voice. And when he looked up, he immediately recognized one of his former contact, a guy called Ned, whom he had not expected to meet, here in Germany.  
Needless to say, had his heart been beating, it would have stopped.

“Jacob Frye? What are you possibly doing here? I thought you were dead?”

Jacob glanced at the other players, then excused himself with a smile, so he and Ned could discuss somewhere else. 

“Let's talk about that somewhere else alright?” Jacob said. Ned nodded, and they left the place, to go outside, in the cold streets. It was the beginning of October, and the nights were starting to get particularly chilly. 

“As you can see, I'm not dead.” Jacob said, with his most natural smile. “I just got into trouble. And I had to lay low, leave the country and all that.” He lied. Or that wasn't exactly a lie. He did run into trouble after all.

Ned narrowed his eyes. He was cunning guy, that Jacob knew. He had gotten in trouble with the Police quite a few times, and did have a nose to detect profit. Overall he was a good guy, and one of the most trustworthy contacts the Frye twins had made.

“I shouldn't be very surprised. There were rumors that you had started business with Maxwell Roth. Anyone with a head knows it can't end well.” He crossed his arms. “Does Evie know you're not dead?”

Jacob's carefully build facade collapsed. He stopped smiling, and looked away. 

“She.. Doesn't. Safer that way.” 

_Better that way._ He thought.

“I see. Well you're right, better if she's not involved.” Ned said, he looked somewhat sorry for Jacob. Or perhaps sorry for Evie. She was the real victim here, after all. “Last time I heard of her, she told me she was stopping business and leaving for India with her fiancé.” He smiled. “It's better to leave her be. She managed to get away, unlike the rest of us.”

So Evie had left to India with Henry? Jacob felt relieved to hear this. Now he knew that his sister was safe somewhere, and probably happy. He couldn't believe she had managed to get away from this life, and all the criminal stuff they had been caught in ever  
since they were born, thanks to their father. He was happy for her. He wished he could see her to tell her how proud he was of his big sister.  
He had forgotten how he missed her.

“So, what brings you here Ned?” Jacob asked, changing the subject. “Didn't know you spoke German.”

“I could say the same to you.” 

Jacob laughed. 

“oh I don't speak German. I have a friend who does.”

“I wonder how you're still alive at times, Mr.Frye, you are one lucky bastard, that's for sure.” Ned said, shaking his head, amused. “I'm here on business. The London market is not very profitable these days. Starrick and his men have established a monopoly over the city. So I moved here, to find new profitable partners.” 

Jacob was only half surprised to hear this. Maxwell had mentioned Starrick being power hungry, but Jacob hadn't thought he would have been so quick to bring the whole city under his control. It had only been two years.

“Do you happen to know anyone around here? I've gotten the cold shoulder with most of my contacts.” Ned frowned. “No one wants to upset Crawford Starrick. Even here the name is known. What a prick.”

Jacob pondered the question for a while. He and Maxwell had met quite a few people since they got here, and he did remember a few of them being potentially interested in finding an ally against Starrick's monopoly over London, and England in general. Then he remembered meeting Robert Kopp, Clara's husband not long ago. Perhaps he was still in the city? He knew that Robert was in the smuggling business, hated Starrick, and that he appreciated Jacob enough (through Clara's enthusiastic words) to lend a hand to one of his friends. 

“I don't know a lot of people.” Jacob admitted . “Do you know Robert Kopp? The man hates Starrick. I bet he would be glad to lend you a hand. If he's reluctant just say I would owe him. I think that should work.”

“Robert Kopp, uh?” Ned mused. “I've heard the name, I'll keep that in mind. Thank you Frye. I should go now, I have an appointment with a potential client. Take care.” He said, walking back inside the pub they just left.  
Jacob nodded, mouthed a small “take care” before leaving. He was,'t feeling like playing cards anymore.

 

After that encounter, Jacob had had a hard time getting back to his everyday life. He had seriously considered writing a letter to Evie. He wanted to go look for her, but he still was with Maxwell, and didn't want to head off to India without telling him. And if he told him why he wanted to got to India, Maxwell would certainly disapprove. Jacob rarely brought up Evie in his conversation with Maxwell, but the rare times it happened, the older vampire ddin't seem to really like Jacob thinking so much about the past. Maxwell himself didn't talk about it, so he probably couldn't understand. This created some sort of tension. Jacob had a hard time forgetting his past, but he felt like he couldn't talk about it to the person he trusted the most, he felt like he wasn't being understood. So he kept it to himself, but it made things even harder to deal with.

 

A year later, they had left Germany, and found themselves in France. Jacob didn't especially like the french, it was certainly partly because of him never hearing anything good about french people as he grew up. Tensions between England and France were not knew, and he was sure french people didn't like the British either. Maxwell didn't seem to care about these things. He apparently spoke French too, on top of German. He probably knew a lot of languages. “Advantages of living a really long time” he had told Jacob. The young man wondered if he ever could master that much language. He doubted it. 

As soon as they settled in France, Maxwell started to get invitations to all sort of events, much to Jacob's surprise. They had been living there for five monts, and had had as much invitations to social events. Jacob barely spoke any french, it was a difficult language, he found it much harder to understand and speak than German. Maxwell helped him out with the basics, but Jacob would still rather stay quiet and pretend to be mute than make a fool of himself in good company, and in front of Maxwell.  
To be honest, Jacob didn't like these parties much. He was often very bored, not understanding what was happening around him. And Maxwell was often very demanded by other guests, which made Jacob slightly upset, and also somewhat sad. He saw all these other people, vampire or humans, who were much more interesting than him. Some were artists, writers, actors, or important people of some sort, with whom Maxwell probably had more in common. On the other hand, there was Jacob, who knew nothing of art or that kind of things, who grew up in a poor and criminal family. 

The past months spent in France made Jacob feel slightly lonely. He often went out to hunt alone, not wanting to bother Maxwell, or get into his way. He felt like Maxwell and him were drifting away, and while apart of him though”it's just a story of a few months, let him have his own fun” , the other was suffering from the lack of attention, and the fear of being abandoned. He wondered if it was partly because of the Bond. But he also knew that it wasn't entirely because of that. He cared about Maxwell, and was afraid of losing him, because of some dumb french aristocrats -this situation didn't help his opinion on french people- or whoever else he spent his time with at parties. Jacob felt like maybe Maxwell didn't care about him the way he used too. The distance Jacob had put between the two of them for these years may have been the case of this, perhaps Maxwell simply had moved on. This thought had been in Jacob's mind for a while now, even before they came to France, he had found himself wondering, now that he himself was sure of his feelings for Maxwell, if the other didn't return his feelings anymore. It would make sense. It had been three years, and nothing had happened between the two of them.  
Needless to say, with what was happening these last months, this had only reinforced this feeling, which made Jacob especially moody at times. He was sad, and also angry at himself for being that slow to decide what he wanted.

That evening, they had to attend another of these unending party, and Jacob was in one of his moody days, which made him even less happy than usual to be there. Jacob was following Maxwell, and they had barely arrived that he was already talking to all sort of people. A woman had even grabbed his arm, laughing at everything he said. Jacob glared at her, and she pointedly ignored him. At some point she gave him a provocative look, and Jacob mouthed a tiny “bitch”, which got him a raised eyebrow from Roth, who, unlike the others understood what he said.

“Are you alright darling?” Maxwell asked.

Jacob just sighed.

“I need air.” He lied, then left, missing Maxwell's shocked and confused expression.

He was truthfully somewhat angry at Maxwell for letting that girl cling to him like this. And for generally not paying more attention to Jacob. He tried not to be mad at his creator, he had the right to have fun, and he happened to have a lot of friends here, which was good. But Jacob couldn't help feeling jealous. He didn't want to make a scene though, so he figured leaving for now would be the best.  
He made his way through the crowd, heading to a balcony he had spotted a while ago. Alright, he had spotted it as soon as he came in, knowing he would probably need to escape there at some point, at least to avoid the crowd which annoyed him to no end.  
He found that there weren't a lot of people around here, it was cold outside after all, and most of the activities happened inside. He stared at the garden below him, there were flowers everywhere, trees, of course one or two fountains. What was it with rich people and fountains, he wondered. It seemed to be a universal thing.

As he was deep in thoughts, someone came to settle next to him. He glanced at who it was. A blond haired man, a vampire. He looked like he was in his forties. Another of these odd and rich vampires who always came to those parties. Though there was something about the man that told Jacob he didn't quite belong in that kind of events. Perhaps the fact that he wore slightly less fancy clothes than most here, he looked more professional than anything. Still, Jacob didn't pay much attention to the man until he decided to talk to him.”

“Belle soirée n'est-ce pas?”

Jacob understood what the man had said, but didn't want to talk to anyone.

“I don't speak french, sorry.” He simply said, hoping it would be enough to deter the man from seeking a conversation.

“Oh I should have guessed.” The man said, with a slight french accent. “ I did see you in Mr.Roth's company earlier. So you are British, like him?”

“Yes, I am.” 

“How interesting. We don't see a lot of British people at our parties these days.” He seemed to remember something. “Oh I didn't even introduce myself, my name is Vincent Lefèvbre.” He extended his hand, and Jacob and him exchanged a short handshake.

“Jacob Frye.” Jacob was confused. He didn't know why the man was talking to him. The name sounded familiar though. 

He remembered Maxwell mentioning the party being hosted by this man. One of Starrick's protegees. Apparently Starrick had many protegees all over Europe. It was slightly creepy, in Jacob's opinion. 

“If I may, Mr.Frye, you don't seem to be enjoying yourself this evening. I hope nobody bothered you? I have a few rather… inconvenient guests. It wouldn't be the first time they bothered foreigners.” 

Jacob was surprised by the offer. He didn't know what the man wanted, or where he was going with this, but at least he was more polite than his creator.

“It won't be necessary. I just needed a bit of quiet, it would take a lot more than a few harsh words to deter me anyway.” Jacob said, smiling politely. He still wasn't feeling like chatting, but the man was polite, so he would bear with it for a while. _At least someone is talking to me,_ he thought.

“Oh I see. Not very fond of social events, are you?” The man smiled at him, a friendly smile. Those were rare from strangers these days. It probably hid something, but Jacob wasn't really interested in over thinking this. 

“Let's say that I prefer parties when I can understand what is being said around me.” Jacob said.

The man nodded in understanding.

“Oh I can definitely comprehend that. I take it you haven't been in France for a long time?”

“Just a few months. French is a difficult language.” 

“It is. But with the right teacher you would certainly be able to speak it fluently fast enough, I'm sure. You look like a clever young man.” Vincent was still all smile, clearly suggesting something here. That surprised Jacob, but he decided to pretend he didn't get it.

“Oh, People do say I'm clever. Usually they sound sarcastic though. I wonder why.” Jacob joked. 

This made Vincent laugh. He was much more relaxed and approachable than Starrick. It was hard to believe he had been created by him. If Jacob had to imagine Starrick's protegee, they would all look like frowning little nobles, looking down at the rest of the world like it was made of ants. This didn't strike him to be the kind of person Vincent was. He was polite, not too showy of his wealth, and definitely approachable. 

“It's good to see someone like you from time to time, Mr. Frye- Can I call you Jacob? You can certainly call me Vincent.” Jacob shrugged and then nodded. He couldn’t care less what people called him. Vincent smiled. “Good. Anyway, I'm surrounded by such boring people. All so serious, and so full of themselves.” He sighed. “Now mind you, it's good to deal with such people for business, but do they ever relax?”

Jacob laughed. He couldn't agree more. All these rich people, acting way too serious. That's partly why he liked going to these events with Maxwell, his friends were usually interesting people. Not that he would know what kind of people he knew here in France, as he couldn't understand a word of what they said, and he was clearly to busy to bother to explain to Jacob. 

“I think most of them don't know that relaxing is a thing that exists. They’re way to deep in their political intrigues for that. It seems truly exhausting.”

“Well at least they do it so the rest of us can relax, I suppose.”

“Do you relax though? I hear your creator is Crawford Starrick himself. You mustn’t have a lot of time for yourself, with all his world control schemes.” Jacob said. He was unsure of how the man would react to this, but he was curious to see. What were is thoughts on Starrrick?

Vincent smiled, leaning in as if to share a secret.

“Well you see, Jacob, the advantage of being in France.. Is that my dear creator doesn't see everything I do.” He smirked and straightened up. “I have influence here, I share it with Starrick, out of respect for my creator. But I don't have to follow all of his orders.” 

“Cheers to you for that.” Jacob said, smiling. He did like that answer after all. Maybe this wasn't such an unpleasant evening after all. 

“You know, if you're going to stay in our beautiful country for a bit longer, perhaps you could come visit me at the occasion? I could certainly teach you some french, to make your evenings more enjoyable.” He smiled. “I was a tutor in another life, after all. Teaching is one of the things I do best.”

Jacob raised an eyebrow. In his mind, tutors were very strict and not the funniest people on earth. He hadn't had any tutors himself obviously. But he had seen kids wwith their tutors, they were often quite strict with the children.

“A tutor? You?” He said, not hiding his surprise.

“I used to be quite a serious man.” he winked. “I'm glad it doesn't show now. Becoming immortal helped me to see that life was better if you allowed yourself and others to enjoy it.”

“Oh so you do grow wiser with age.” Jacob mocked. “There's still hope for some of them then.” He said, looking at the people inside the manor, all playing their little political games, trying to climb up the social ladders of their respective societies-because once again humans and vampires were mixed- The world would be a much better place if they could just enjoy themselves and let others enjoy themselves, Jacob thought. At least more vampires than humans seemed to share that opinion. It was one of the good things of being part of the vampire society, it was much less judgmental that the human's .

“Let's hope so.” He briefly looked at the room and returned his attention to Jacob. “So what do you think? Can I count on your presence on Wednesday?”

“Why not? I could use french lessons, and it's even better with an interesting tutor such as yourself.” 

Vincent's smile grew larger. He seemed genuinely happy to hear that.

“You flatter me Jacob, then I-” He stopped, looking toward the door leading inside. 

Jacob looked in that direction, wondering what had stopped him mid sentence. It was Maxwell. And he didn’t look very pleased.

“There you are Jacob. Am I interrupting something?” He was smiling, but his eyes were dark. He looked at Vincent, who seemed to see that Maxwell was not in a good mood.

“Not at all Mr.Roth, I was merely keeping company to Jacob.” He put a hand on Jacob's shoulder briefly, then looked at him. “Wednesday then.” Before leaving.

“I see you've met Starrick's protegee.” Maxwell said. It was unclear what was goin on in his head though. Jacob saw that he was angry, but being himself angry to have been abandoned , he didn't see why the man would be angry.

“Much more agreeable than his creator.” Jacob said, his tone somewhat dry.

“I can see that.” He then changed subject entirely. “I think we should head back. This party has proven to be most unpleasant.” 

“Oh really? You seemed to be enjoying yourself when I left.”

Maxwell gritted his teeth at this. He was clearly not liking Jacob's sassy attitude at the moment. 

“I am not anymore.” He simply said.

Jacob didn't see the point to argue. Honestly, he was more than glad to leave. He had appreciated his little conversation with Vincent, but it couldn't have lasted all evening, especially not after Maxwell driving him away.  
Jacob had no clue why Maxwell had done this. Something must have angered him; but he couldn't grasp why.

 

They stayed quiet during the travel. Maxwell was definitely still boiling with rage, and was tapping his finger rhythmically every now and then. He did that when he was angry or annoyed.  
When they finally got back to their home-at least for now- Maxwell angrily threw his coat on a chair, and started pacing.

“What the hell has gotten into you?” Jacob asked. It was starting to get on his nerves to see him like this and not know what has happened.  
Maxwell stopped his pacing, and looked at him, he was going to break something, Jacob could see it coming.

“What has gotten into _you_ Jacob?” He yelled. “You storm off without warning, and I find you're making sweet eyes to one of Starrick's puppet!”

“I wasn't.... We were talking. And he's actually not so bad,as he seems to share the opinion that Starrick is a prick.” Jacob said, angrily. He wasn't shouting, but he was starting to be seriously upset. “I'm not a child. I know what I'm doing, I would never befriend one of Starrick's dogs, Do you think I'm that stupid?.” 

“I don't bloody care of what he thinks of Starrick, Jacob! He could be best friend with Starrick, it wouldn't change anything!”

Jacob realized the root of the problem just now. Maxwell was jealous. Jealous, but of what? He's the one who left Jacob alone, ignoring him. And it's not like they were lovers anyway. Not anymore. 

“So you're jealous? That's it?” 

Maxwell stopped, as if realizing that himself.

“You left, and I found you flirting with another man- one of Starrick's bloody protegee, and you two are going to meet on Wednesday. How am I supposed to react, Jacob?” He strode across the room toward Jacob, he was still boiling with anger, but at least he wasn't yelling anymore. “Am I supposed to be happy about that?”

“You're the one who's been leaving me aside all these months, and I didn't say a thing. I talk alone with one person, and I'm in the wrong here?” 

This was not good, Jacob knew it. He was starting to feel all the emotions he had repressed over the past months coming back to the surface.

“I don't mind you talking to your friends in a language I don't even understand, I'm fine with it. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm feeling like I'm the least interesting of the people you know, and that upsets me, Maxwell. So yeah I left, because that damn woman hanging at your arm was seriously getting on my nerves, that I couldn't even tell her to sod off in french, and that you were barely noticing me.”  
Now Maxwell was still. Probably angry, his anger didn't disappear easily, but at least it wasn't boiling rage now. He was listening, processing the information that was thrown at him. Even if he didn't understood them. Maxwell was a stubborn man, but he at least tried to listen to Jacob when he had something to say.

“Now I get it, it's the Bond thing that Clara told me about that makes me irrational. But even without that.” He sighed. “I wasn't flirting with Vincent. He was, definitely. I was merely returning the courtesy. I didn't think you would even care honestly.”

“I care that you flirt with other people Jacob. I am willing to let a lot of thing pass, Jacob, I don't care that you need time. But If you are going to flirt with others while you play with me on the side, I'm going to be upset.” Maxwell said, he was frustrated by this situation. He had never been good at dealing with several emotions at a time, and right now he felt angry, but also somewhat confused by the situation and upset to hear that Jacob thought he had been neglected, when in his man, the young vampire had been the one who had been distance these last months, or even the past years. His feelings for Jacob had never changed, but he saw that Jacob was trying to put some distance between them, and respected that, even if he didn't like it. Seeing Jacob with that man… It had angered him. Jacob was keeping a certain distance between them, but also sometimes crossed the line, which led Maxwell to believe there was still something between the two of them. And seeing Jacob flirt with someone else was like betrayal. He was still angry, but he was willing to listen. He wanted to hear what Jacob had to say. He wanted to know he hadn't been betrayed or played with.

“I'm not playing with you Maxwell. I never was, I just-” He sighed heavily, he was hurt that Maxwell could even think that of him. “I needed time. After what happened- I was angry. And after that, just… I didn't know what to do or say. By the time I was sure of my feelings, I wasn't sure of yours anymore.” He laughed, suddenly feeling extremely pathetic. “You know that I'm bad at this. And dying hasn't made it better, sadly.” 

“Jacob.” Maxwell sighed, stepping closer to Jacob. He was still tense, and agitated, but appeared to have calmed down considerably. “You are driving me insane at times darling. But had my love for you been so fleeting that a few years apart could alter it, I would not have turned you at all. I still love you darling, never doubt that.” He put a hand on Jacob's cheek, and they stared into eachothers' eyes for a few second before they kissed.

 

Neither probably knew who had initiated that kiss, and unlike the last they had shared, approximately three years ago, this was a start of something, a promise maybe, that they would remain by eachothers' side. They had been through difficult things, things that perhaps should have parted them. Maybe it would have been for the better, if their feelings had vanished, or so Jacob had thought at times.  
But now it wouldn't even cross his mind. He had missed Maxwell, he had missed their relationship. Missed the touch and words that had been so present in their relationship once. Missed holding and being held, missed the kisses, the declarations of love. And Maxwell had missed those things too, Jacob didn't doubt that, not anymore.  
After they broke the kiss, Jacob just hugged Maxwell, resting his head on his shoulder. Maxwell was stroking his hair, and Jacob heard him sigh.

“All this emotional turmoil made me quite hungry.”

“I'm hungry too.”

“Shall we hunt together?”

“I would love to.” 

 

They stalked the city, looking for a decent prey to catch. As they had been hunting separately these days, they rarely brought back any humans homes; they either killed their prey, or left them unconscious, as they rarely remembered anything after losing that much blood, it was safe to let their prey live, though it wasn't as easy as it looked, as a vampire tended to find it hard to control how much blood they drained. It was even harder for younger vampires like Jacob, and even though he tried, most of the time they ended up dying anyway.

They quickly spotted a potential victim. A man, who looked rather wealthy, walking through dark alleys. Probably to meet a prostitute, or on his way home fom that. It was little pas midnight, so both options could be considered. Not that it mattered.  
Tonight the man wouldn't get home.

It was easy to get him. The poor man barely had time to react when they fell upon him. Maxwell immediately bit the man's neck, in the jugular, before he could even think about screaming for help. He feel silent, his eyes hollow, like he was drugged. Maxwell started to drink, but not for too long, before inviting Jacob to join him in the feast. 

Drinking blood was intoxicating. There was nothing Jacob had done as a human that equaled the sensation. It was like being high, or drunk. His thought felt fuzzy, and his whole body felt warm again. Like coming back to life. Every drop of blood made him feel more alive. He could feel Maxwell's body close to his, getting warmer, as the man's body grew colder. He glanced at his lover whose chin was covered in blood, it was something he rarely got to see. Maxwell didn't often feed at the same time as Jacob, he preferred to eat after him, and rarely in front of Jacob. Now that Jacob saw him feed, he thought he knew why. This felt like a very private moment to share with another vampire. Maxwell looked beautiful like this, he looked wild, he looked like a deadly animal running free, one that could never be caged. 

Jacob felt satiated, and so let go of the man's neck. Maxwell drank for a bit longer, before also letting go of the man, who dropped to the ground, dead. The wounds on his neck quickly disappeared. The only proofs of what had happened were the blood stains on the man's neck and clothes, and of course the blood, still fresh on the two vampire's face. It was unavoidable, their fangs weren't straws, they had to cause significant damages to their prey's neck to get to drink the blood.  
Usually they would have ran away immediately. But Jacob was still dizzy from the blood, and so was Maxwell. Jacob kissed his lover, licking off the blood from his lips. He felt so warm, but it was going to subside eventually. This never lasted. Maxwell kissed Jacob back eagerly, he was himself quite in a fog. Hee could hardly resist the boy in his normal state of mind, but it was near impossible now. The blood on his lips just added to his desire. He started drifting away from Jacob's mouth, to his neck, kissing, licking, Jacob let out a small moan. 

A noise pulled Maxwell back to reality.

“We should leave darling.” He said. Footsteps were approaching. If they stayed they would get caught, and it wouldn't be pretty.

Jacob was still dazed. Some vampires were more affected by the blood than others, and from what he had seen, Jacob could stay a long time in a dazed state after feeding himself, to varied degrees. Maxwell himself didn't have too much issues with it, and it wasn't really a problem. Perhaps it would even go away as Jacob aged. He took Jacob's hand and pulled him away from the body, back toward the main streets, toward their home. He certainly wasn't done with him.

 

________________________------------------potentially bad (not sure!) porn line. Cross at your own risks. 

 

When they got back to their temporary home, Jacob was still slightly dazed. He had a difficult time snapping back of this state..and he had another reason to be dazed.  
His kiss with Maxwell had him filled with desire. How long had it been since the last time? He couldn't remember. He missed this too.  
They almost didn't make it to the bedroom. They hadn't waited to get there to kiss eachother, touch eachother's body, removing the layers of clothes that got in their way. It probably made a fine mess, but for now none of them really cared.  
They finished undressing in the bedroom, and Maxwell pushed Jacob down on the bed, kissing him as his hands caressed Jacob's body, slowly getting lower. Jacob let out a small moan when Maxwell started stroking his cock. It had been so long since he had felt Maxwell's touch, he felt like he was going to burn. IT felt so strange too, their body were both at room temperature, their blood wouldn't warm up. It felt hot but cold at the same time, it was unsettling at first, but Jacob had not had a hard time to focus on something else as Maxwell was on him , slowly getting him off with his hand as he whispered sweet nothing into his ear. 

“I want to be inside you darling” Maxwell said, his voice husky. He hadn't touched his lover like this for far too long, he wanted to make love to him, like he used to before all this. The longer he stared at Jacob's face, flushed, eyes half closed, and mouth slightly open, the more he wanted him. Maxwell had had a hard time spending all this time next to Jacob,not even able to kiss him. Three years. He would have waited much longer if that's what it took to have Jacob's love once more, but it did not make things any easier. Now that Jacob was here, pinned under him, hard and wanting, he was afraid it would all go away.

Jacob kissed him. “I want you” he breathed. It was all Maxwell needed.

He went to fetch the vial of oil he always kept around in the bedroom, as such occasion always presented themselves when one expected it the most.  
When Maxwell came back with the oil, Jacob pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss. 

“get on all four darling.” Maxwell told him, and Jacob obeyed immediately. He was well past the time when he was nervous about being exposed like this in front of Maxwell, right now all he wanted was for his lover to be inside of him. He remembered how good Maxwell always made him feel, and he wanted to feel that tonight, after all this time. Sometimes he wondered how he had lasted this long.  
Jacob felt an oiled finger being pushed inside of him, he grasped the sheets, it always felt strange at first. Maxwell was always very careful when he was preparing him, pushing one finger, then two, and eventually three, taking his time, going step by step while slowly stroking Jacob's cock. Jacob was starting to feel good, moaning whenever Maxwell's fingers grazed a sensitive spot inside him. It was starting to feel so good, Maxwell's fingers moving inside of him, slowly sliding in and out of his hole. Jacob pushed back against them, he needed more stimulation, and he was sure Maxwell knew that. 

“Just.. Put it in.” Jacob breathed, looking over his shoulder at Maxwell, who was looking at him with his eyes filled with lust. 

“Thought you would never ask for it darling.” 

Jacob felt Maxwell's cock against his hole, slowly pushing in. He closed his eyes, grasping the bed sheets. Maxwell was slowly entering his lover, and he felt so good. Jacob was so tight. He paused once he was fully inside, both savoring the moment, and waiting for Jacob to relax. Maxwell stroked his lover's cock as he slowly pulled out, then back in. It didn't too long for Jacob to relax, and soon enough he was pushing back against Maxwell's cock, moaning, calling out his lover's name.  
Maxwell was groaning, resisting the urge to just fuck his boy into the mattress. He wanted it to feel good for both of them. Every time Jacob called out his name,he felt a shiver run down his spine, and thrust harder inside him. He wanted to make the boy his. Sometimes Jacob looked over his shoulder, lips parted and face flushed, moaning and gasping every time Maxwell's cock hit that one spot inside of him.  
Jacob's arms had given out a while ago, his face was against the sheets, his hand grasping the fabric under him desperately as Maxwell drove into him, pace slowly increasing. He felt so good, warmth building up inside him, he knew he wouldn't last long. 

“Max- I'm.. almost there” He gasped, between two moans. Maxwell only pushed harder in response, taking hold of Jacob's cock, and jerking him off as he drove into him, grunting and groaning.  
Jacob didn't last very long after that. The warmth build up, pooling inside him, and he came, gasping, calling out Maxwell's name, his whole body twitching as he reached his orgasm. Maxwell cursed, and came soon after, buried deep inside Jacob. The two of them collapsed in bed, feeling satisfied and exhausted.

Maxwell wrapped his arms around Jacob, who rested his head against his lover's chest. They both were in a state of perfect and complete bliss, just laying there, cuddling, as if they had never left each other, as if those three years hadn't existed.

“I had missed you darling.” Maxwell said, kissing Jacob's head.

“Me too.” Jacob had indeed missed Maxwell during all this time. It didn't mean he regretted the past three years. They had been necessary for him to forgive Maxwell, and to forget his old life. He still hadn't quite gotten over his past life entirely. It was a hard  
thing to do when part of it was a person who was very much alive. He still wondered if he shouldn't have went to see Evie, told her he was alive. But it was too late now. He had to live his new life, and try to forget, to focus on the present, on what he had here, with Maxwell.

Because what he had here, he didn't want to lose.


End file.
